Middle-Aged People Should Introduce Drink-Free Days To Improve Their Health

People between 45 and 65 were found to be more likely to want to consume over the 14-units of alcohol limit per week. This is why Public Health England thinks it’s better if this group introduces some regular drink-free days to improve their health.

While studies show that people shouldn’t consume alcohol at all, or that the limit is too high, cutting back on alcohol can be difficult for many people. This is how Public Health England (PHE) came with a different recommendation, finding out that it’s even easier to manage than cutting down alcohol:

“People have also told us that the idea of a drink-free day is much easier to manage than cutting down, say, from one large glass of wine to a small glass of wine,” explained Julia Verne, the PHE’s spokesperson on liver disease.

Two Consecutive Drink-Free Days

According to the PHE, people that abstain from alcohol two days in a row will sleep better, will have a reduced risk of heart disease, liver problems, high blood pressure, and cancers, added Verne:

“Having a day off drinking gives you a chance to clean your system and give your liver a rest. It also has an immediate impact on your sleep and calorie consumption.”

The chief executive of Public Health England, Duncan Selbie, explains that setting a target of not drinking is easier to cut back on the habit:

“Many of u enjoy a drink – but whether it’s a few in the pub after work a couple of times a week, some beers on the sofa watching the football or regular wine with our dinner – it’s all too easy to let our drinking creep up on us. Setting yourself a target of having more drink-free days every week is an easy way to drink less and reduce the risks to your health.”

This recommendation came with the Drink Free Days campaign which is also supported by the charity Drinkaware, who developed an app to support people in sticking with a routine.

Selbie added that the best results could be seen if there are two drink-free days, but warns that:

“It’s not a target, it’s not to go mad on the other five days, it’s an achievable way of thinking about how to manage your levels of drink.”

The chief executive with Drinkaware, Elaine Hindal concludes that many people, especially the middle-aged, drink “in ways that are putting them at risk of serious and potentially life-limiting conditions such as heart disease, liver disease and some types of cancer.”

Andre Blair s is the lead editor for Advocator.ca. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Science in Public Health (M.S.P.H.) from the School of Public Health, Department of Health Administration, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Andre specializes in environmental health, but writes on a variety of issues.